To say that Game of Thrones has a lot of characters would be a vast understatement, as the show has one of the largest ensemble casts on television. Hell, this show has had so many characters that in certain cases, names have needed to be changed in order to avoid confusion, such as with the switch from Asha to Yara Greyjoy to avoid that character being confused with the wildling Osha.
It’s gotten to the point where it’s become all too easy to forget about many of the show’s minor characters, especially since the vast majority end up dead not long after they’re introduced. However, just because a character isn’t as important as someone like Jon Snow or Daenerys Targaryen, doesn’t meant that they haven’t made a valuable contribution to the plot in their own way. While the average Game of Thrones viewers has probably long forgotten about the following 10 characters, it’s hard to deny that each one of them were really important to the show overall.
10. Podrick Payne
Podrick Payne (or Pod, as others are fond of calling him) is neither a great warrior or skilled tactician, but he makes up for his physical and mental deficiencies with his honesty, loyalty, and overall good nature; a rarity among most Game of Thrones characters. While Podrick is pretty much the definition of a sidekick and rarely does anything that significantly impacts the overall narrative, he has had his moments. His greatest achievement thus far is arguably saving Tyrion’s life in the Battle of the Blackwater, proving that Pod is not only proficient in battle when needed, but also someone who can be trusted to have your back. Thus, he became one of the few people Tyrion could actually trust during the rest of his time in King’s Landing, prompting him to declare Pod to be the most loyal squire anyone could hope for.
Brienne of Tarth soon discovered this when he (reluctantly) brought Pod on as her own squire and even though he was laughably bad as a swordsman, his knowledge of Westeros and its people served the pair well, such as when he correctly identifies Arya Stark’s travelling companion to be The Hound. Podrick is a character with no truly exceptional accomplishments, but one who generally makes the lives of those around him better, which in itself is a quality that arguably makes him important as well.
HBO